This story had lots of familiar elements - a young man who has been educated by his parents to keep his abilities secret, frequent moves without explanation, a chance to attend a special school for exceptional kids, unknown enemies who seem to be everywhere. The way Frost wove them together made a compelling and very readable tale. Will West had been following his parents' instruction to be average but he blew it when he scored off the charts on a standardized test given to all the kids in the US. Now he is being followed by men in black sedans with heavily frosted glass. He's been recruited and offered a full scholarship to the Center - a secretive school in rural Wisconsin. His mother is acting strangely and he isn't sure his father has been affected too. He runs - with the aide of an Australian guy named Dave in a hot car - to the school. Will's father had given him a variety of rules to live by which Will wrote in a notebook. He took it and a picture of his parents when he ran. The rules help him keep his parents close and help him make decisions in dangerous situations.Once he arrives at the school he finds that he hasn't completely outrun the bad guys. He makes friends with the kids who share his pod - Brooke, Elise, Ajay and Nick - and makes an enemy of Lyle who is the Provost Marshall of his dorm. He finds that there is a secret society in the school that has some evil plans. They are in league with some Others who have been locked into a prison in the NeverWas as a result of a war long ago. Now those Others are trying to escape and take over the Earth again.Dave tells Will that he is his guardian angel but has a limited number of times he can offer assistance. He also tells Will that he is an initiate for the side of good in this epic war between Good and Evil. Will and his friends have a number of adventures as they try to find out who the members of the secret society are and what their goal is. I thought Will and his friends were well-developed characters who had unique strengths and abilities. I was especially fond of Nick who provided a sense of comic relief when things were especially tense but who also was incredibly brave and loyal. And I really want some of the technology the author had in the story. I want a tablet like the ones described with its avatar. This book was a good start to a series that I think will be very popular - especially with my middle grade boys. I can't wait to share it with them. I was glad to add it to my next book order.
